This invention relates generally to an imaging system, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for use of the imaging system to acquire and analyze cardiac data of a patient.
Medical diagnostic and imaging systems are present in modern health care facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailed images of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.
Heart disease is a major cause of mortality in the United States and coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as ischemic heart disease, accounts for the majority of the heart ailments. Stable CAD is a result of stenosis of the coronary arteries that develops over time, which may result in chest pain when the demand for blood by the heart muscle (myocardium) increases and the coronary arteries are not able to meet the demand. It is estimated that in the United States alone there are as many as 16.5 million patients with stable CAD. In contrast to stable CAD, acute cardiac syndromes (ACS) develop suddenly and the symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, perspiration, and lightheadedness, all typically occurring while the person is at rest. The cause of ACS is typically a sudden formation of a clot (thrombus) in the coronary artery that produces either a partial block or a complete occlusion, with the result being ischemia, infarction, or necrosis (death of myocardial tissue). ACS is a dynamic process, and if untreated may have severe consequences, such as permanent damage to the myocardium, significant loss of myocardial function, or lethal arrhythmias. It is estimated that in the United States alone there are 2.3 million patients treated for ACS each year.
Presently available non-invasive analysis and diagnostic methods include echocardiography (Ultrasound), radionuclide imaging, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and computed tomography (CT) imaging, and with respect to heart disease, are typically limited to static analysis, analysis of a single heart condition, analysis with geometric approximations, or analysis based on operator input.
In one embodiment, a method for acquiring and analyzing cardiac data of a patient includes acquiring a first volume of cardiac data from a medical scanner, processing the first volume of cardiac data for image reconstruction and visualization, acquiring a subsequent plurality of volumes of cardiac data from the medical scanner, processing the subsequent plurality of volumes of cardiac data for image reconstruction and visualization, and reconstructing and visualizing first and second image sets from the acquired first and the subsequent plurality of volumes of cardiac data, respectively.
In another embodiment, an apparatus for the acquisition and analysis of cardiac image data is provided. The apparatus includes a medical scanner for generating first and second volumes of cardiac image data in a single exam, a data acquisition system for acquiring either the first or second volumes of cardiac image data, an image reconstructor for reconstructing a viewable image from either the first or second volumes of cardiac image data, a database for storing information from the data acquisition system and the image reconstructor, and an operator interface for managing either the medical scanner, the data acquisition system, the image reconstructor, or the database. A computer includes a post-processing algorithm for analyzing the reconstructed volume of cardiac image data and displaying the viewable image, the computer being responsive to the operator interface. The post-processing algorithm includes instructions for automatically delineating a region of the viewable image representative of either the myocardial muscle or the left ventricle, automatically volume rendering an image of either the myocardial muscle or the left ventricle, and automatically determining an image of a phase of the cardiac cycle representative of either end diastole or end systole.